Cobra Attack!
I heard them but they were on me before I could even get ready. I got my iPhone out of my pocket. I had just finished up a day of flight operations at the Palm Springs Air Museum. We were just getting ready to close the gates on the ramp.
Fire Attack Helo
An opportunity I had to fly alongside Ventura County Fire. They had just filled up from a lake below. A huge Thanks to my buddies who made this happen. That was a tremendous flight!
“Photo Conversations” Replay
Photo Conversation With Me
Coming up on Monday August 31 at 10am PST, very fun to be a guest on John Cornicello’s “Photo Conversations“. It is exciting to be included in an ongoing series that has featured photo industry luminaries such as John Paul Caponigro, Seth Resnick, Kevin Raber, Jack Reznicki, Lee Varis, Michael Newler, Benjamin Von Wong, Jeff Schewe, Jeff Dunas, Mac Holbert, Greg Gorman and more.
It is all free, so please join in and register in advance at https://cornicello.com/zoom It will also be on Facebook Live and YouTube. Thanks!
Coming Up Tuesday
Chatting With Sherri With Me
My third “appearance” with “Chatting With Sherri”. Some of her broadcasts reach over one million downloads! August 11th at 1:00pm at http://tobtr.com/11788122 Thanks!
Chatting With Sherri welcomes back multi-talented photographer; Ian L. Sitren!
Ian L Sitren is a multi-talented photographer. He creates amazing pictures of athletes, models, actors and aircraft! “As a little boy I used to build military aircraft models and hang them from the ceiling in my room. Now I get to photograph them and fly in historic and military airplanes from World War II and many others.”
“My project about the Yiddish Theatre has it’s beginning with my own family. Uncle Izzy as he was known in our family, was one of the pioneers of the Yiddish Theatre along 2nd Avenue in New York City along with the famous Maurice Schwartz. The impact of the Yiddish Theatre through the Century and today reaches from Edward G. Robinson, Irving Berlin, and even Marlon Brando and so very much more. Indeed without the Yiddish Theatre even “Apocalypse Now” may never have been the motion picture it became.”
“Photo excursions started out a few years ago with me just looking for interesting shoot locations. Then a couple of my friends wanted to come along so they became road trips for the purpose of finding the odd and unusual. One of the guys in our group does paintings from his photographs and is now in galleries here in Southern California and Montana and has been in number of prestigious art shows. Another of our group has also been successful in art shows with his photographs, here and abroad. Art Patron Magazine last year did a story about our photo excursions.”
USAF Thunderbirds
When I was a kid, it was the United States Air Force Thunderbirds that captured my imagination. Guess they still do! Photographed by me at the Reno Air Races 2019.
My Bunny Mask
I like my mask better than your mask! Just had a couple made for myself. From one of my photographs of “Bunny”, the Palm Springs Air Museum P-51 Mustang dedicated to Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Bob Friend.
Open! Palm Springs Air Museum
OPEN! Yes the Palm Springs Air Museum is back open as of today June 1st. Truly one of the best air museums in the world.
If you follow me, you know I am closely associated with the PS Air Museum in multiple roles from photographer to the actual flying side of things.
So come visit and check it out. After all this Shelter In Place you will find it a great place to be. And you can still fly with us through June. Check it all out on the website at https://palmspringsairmuseum.org
And yes I shot this photo. Camera was a Fujifilm X-Series. Thanks!
Memorial Day Flyover
Many of you saw it on the news across the country. And many of you saw it in person. Sixteen World War II aircraft traversed Southern California over Memorial locations, hospitals and landmarks honoring Memorial Day and those people on the front-line of the pandemic.
I was honored to be on the crew with the Palm Springs Air Museum flying in the World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc?”. Starting out the day we flew over the Coachella Valley with the C-47, the P-51 Mustang Red Tail “Bunny”, the P-63 Kingcobra “Pretty Polly”, a Vietnam War era T-28 Trojan, and a T-33 Shooting Star.
Along with the C-47 we broke off with the P-51 Mustang to join the other aircraft flyover twenty locations in the Inland Empire, out to Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, up the coast past the USS Iowa to National Cemetery in Westwood, east over USC Medical Center, finally landing at Chino Airport.
A huge Thank You to Threshold Aviation for hosting us and providing lunch and relaxation. Your hospitality was very appreciated by all.
Departing Chino, it was back to Palm Springs going up with the three other Air Museum aircraft for a flyover again of more locations in the Coachella Valley, out to the Patton Museum, back up through Twentynine Palms, over High Desert Medical Center, Yucca Valley, Desert Hot Springs and finally back to land at Palm Springs and back to the Air Museum.
Thank You to everyone for being so very supportive, those who cheered us on the ground, and to those to whom we owe so very much. Here are a few photographs of the journey.
Photographed on Fujifilm cameras, X-T3, X-H1, 50-140 and 16-55 f2.8 lenses. Thanks!
Memorial Day Fly-Over
Join the Palm Springs Air Museum to salute all those who serve and have served our country in a momentous air display throughout the Coachella Valley and Southern California.
On Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2020, starting at 10:45am, the Palm Springs Air Museum’s webcam will stream live the staging of pilots and vintage warbirds as they prepare for a Memorial Day ceremony with Pipe Band, burial flag presentations to pilots and take off of five vintage warbirds into the sky.
Uniformed members of Civil Air Patrol Squadron 11 will present one burial flag to each of the five pilots while the Palm Springs Pipe Band plays. The aircraft and honorees:
– P-63 Kingcobra: Cpl. Joseph LaSalle, WWI USMC
– P-51 Mustang: Lt. Col. Robert Friend, WWII USAAF (Tuskegee Airman)
– T-33 Shooting Star: Col. Robert Gilliland, USAF Korean War
– C-47 Skytrain: Maj Gen. Kenneth Miles, USAF Vietnam War
– T-28 Trojan: Col. Ross Miles, USAF Lost Current Service Members
The five aircraft will start-up and depart to fly over the Coachella Valley in honor of those who serve and served our country. The aircraft will then meet up with other warbirds over San Bernardino and fly over parts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
The Coachella Valley route goes from Palm Springs International Airport to Desert Hot Springs City Hall, SunLine Transit Center, Sun City / Shadow Hills, Indio City Hall, John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Coachella City Hall, Coachella Valley Water District, Cochran Regional Airport, La Quinta City Hall, Indian Wells City Hall, Palm Desert City Hall, Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage City Hall, Cathedral City’s City Hall, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ Tribal Offices, Palm Springs City Hall, Desert Regional Hospital, Desert Memorial Park, and the General Patton Museum.
The aircraft will then join other aircraft from the Inland Empire Wing of the CAF, Flabob Aviation Associates, and the Condor Squadron Threshold Technologies, Inc, over San Bernardino.
All aircraft will then fly over the following locations in Southern California: Loma Linda VA Medical Center, Riverside National Cemetery, CHOC Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital (Orange), John Wayne Airport, Pacific View Memorial Park (Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Bob Friend’s grave), Newport Beach, Long Beach VA Hospital, The Queen Mary, USS Iowa, Green Hills Memorial Park, Torrance Airport, LAX, Santa Monica Airport, LA National Cemetery, UCLA Medical Center, USC Medical Center, City of Hope, and finally Chino Airport.
Please join us along the way for this historic flyover. Thank You!
Map of the additional Southern California route below.
Frontline Fly-Over
Honoring the people on the front lines of the pandemic, the Palm Springs Air Museum is doing “Frontline Friday Flyovers”.
On Friday May 22nd we will be over Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital, Twentynine Palms City Hall, Hi-Desert Medical Center, Yucca Valley Town Hall and Desert Hot Springs City Hall. Departure time from the Palm Springs Air Museum will be approximately 12:45pm.
The aircraft flying will be the World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc”, the iconic “Red Tail” P-51 Mustang “Bunny”, and one of only of the very few flying in the entire world, the P-63 Kingcobra “Pretty Polly”.
A map of the route is in the discussion here so many of you can watch from your own backyard. Wave to us, I will be in the C-47. Thanks!
Frontline Flyovers & Fujifilm GFX100
Honoring the people on the front lines of the pandemic, the Palm Springs Air Museum is doing flyovers over different facilities on Fridays through May. This is the three aircraft returning from the flight the other day. The World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc”, the iconic “Red Tail” P-51 Mustang “Bunny”, and one of only of the very few flying in the entire world, the P-63 Kingcobra “Pretty Polly”.
Photographed with the new Fujifilm GFX100 medium format camera and the GF110mm lens. I am just now shooting with it for the first time. Faster operating than I had expected, it was able to capture aircraft in flight from the ground. This is a 100 megapixel camera still capable of shooting five frames per second with continuous auto-focusing. I will be shooting with it some more, so keep coming back to see what else I do with it. Thanks!
What’s Up Doc?
The World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc?” from the Palm Springs Air Museum. Likely I have flown in this aircraft somewhere around a couple of hundred times or more. This when we were doing ride flights with Hangar 24 Brewery & Taproom at the Redlands Airport. Great fun! Thanks!
Flying In A B-25
Flying in the nose of a World War II B-25 Mitchell bomber over the Salton Sea. Today April 18th is the anniversary of the Doolittle Raid On Tokyo in 1942. Sixteen B-25’s flew off the deck of the USS Hornet as the first retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of the 80 crew members, 77 survived the mission. Eight airmen were captured by the Japanese Army in China; three were later executed.
Video from a hat mounted GoPro as I shot video and photos with my iPhone and a Fujifilm X-Series camera.
We were headed for a Veterans Day flyover at the Glamis Sand Dunes with other World War II aircraft. I was texting our location and timing and also doing social media posts.
Also somewhat of a video self; you can see my reflection on the iPhone.
The B-25 “Executive Sweet” from the American Aeronautical Foundation. That day flying out of the Palm Springs Air Museum.
At 38,000 ft
Airliner overhead at 38,000 ft. Fujifilm X-H1 camera and XF100-400mm lens. Sheltering in place.
Take A Break And Fly
Let’s take a break for some flying. The Palm Springs Air Museum P-51 Mustang “Bunny” from start up to shut down around the pylons at the Reno Air Races 2019. I mounted a GoPro inside and there was some really great light making it seem like you are right in the cockpit.
That is me in the black t-shirt doing the start-up and sending it out. I was doing more than just photography at the Air Races and at Air Shows. Although you can see my camera hanging on my back. It is a Fujifilm X-T3 and 100-400mm lens. One of the reasons I avoid carrying a lot of gear, too much going on.
NAF El Centro Not This Year
Last year headed to the airshow at NAF El Centro with the Palm Springs Air Museum. I was flying alongside in either a T-28 Trojan or P-51 Mustang, I don’t recall which. I have flown in this C-47 hundreds of times. Anyway the airshow this year of course was cancelled. Sheltering at home.
With My Hasselblad
A photograph that has almost become iconic and used endlessly for the Palm Springs Air Museum. I do not think it would have happened had I not shot it with my Hasselblad.
Tomcat with Hasselblad X
The Palm Springs Air Museum F-14 Tomcat. A favorite because of the motion picture “Top Gun”. Photographed with the Hasselblad X1DII 50c camera and XCD 21mm lens. Processed in Hasselblad Phocus software. Phocus with Hasselblad files always produces just amazing results.
A-7 Corsair II Arrives
It might not look like much now, but by the end of the year, those restoration magicians at the Palm Springs Air Museum will have it looking like it is ready to fly off a carrier. A Vietnam War era Vought A-7A Corsair II. The A-7 flew from 1965 through the Gulf War. It arrived this morning.
For my photographer friends; Sometimes I still use my Fujifilm x30. Very convenient to have around. These are Velvia film simulation jpg’s.
Air Force One Arrival
Air Force One arriving in Palm Springs California at 10:30am this morning (Wednesday February 19, 2020). Fujifilm X-H1 camera and Fujifilm XF 50-140mm F2.8 lens.
Aviation Photography
I was just working through some new photo workflow ideas and tools. Happened to use a series I shot at the Hangar 24 AirFest in Lake Havasu in 2018. Thought this was a pretty cool photograph to share with you. An A-10 Thunderbolt flying by. Photographed with my Fujifilm X-H1 with the Fujifilm XF100-400 lens.
SecondFocus Blog 